Wheel Woes.....Part 2

Hi all, I still have a problem with my wheel, and after talking to someone at my art center, and with the people here, I am sure that my wheel head is bent and "not true" ever so slightly. But, since I am fairly new to wheel turning and this has been problematic, I was pretty bummed to find this out! But, after working with it, I decided I had two options, three at best: I could sell it and hope to get my money out of it and advertise it as "not true", I could give up, or I could force myself to learn to use it. It hasn't been an easy two weeks, but things are getting easier and I have managed to turn a few small pots on it, so needless to say, I am learning to use it.

Buying replacement parts aren't an option for me right now, we don't have the funds. BUT - here lies my problem now.....how do you trim a foot on a pot when the wheel is not true? I have tried a few, but if the wheel is not centered, then how do I get my foot "centered"? Or am I making too much out of this? lol
Thank you!

I am not an expert potter- but all wheels have a center and i would think once you find it's center for trimming it should be fine. What I do sometimes when I am feeling rusty is put some slopy slip on the wheel and just move my hands on the wheel,... find the center, draw my finger out the the edge, go back to center etc to get my body into the state of mind I need to be to throw. I feel like I have to be in a sort of "half meditative state". The minute my mind enters the picture everything flops. One thing that helps is to NOT look at the wheel... look forward and let your mind empty.

Learning On my Kick wheel with my vintage Paragon (from the late 1960's)

I am not an expert potter- but all wheels have a center and i would think once you find it's center for trimming it should be fine. What I do sometimes when I am feeling rusty is put some slopy slip on the wheel and just move my hands on the wheel,... find the center, draw my finger out the the edge, go back to center etc to get my body into the state of mind I need to be to throw. I feel like I have to be in a sort of "half meditative state". The minute my mind enters the picture everything flops. One thing that helps is to NOT look at the wheel... look forward and let your mind empty.

Reb. Very zen like description for trimming, my best work comes when I'm in a "full" meditative state. I have partly joked about throwing salt, or burning sage to purify the room before starting. I will often wedge clay even though I'm not using it that day, or paint enso (zen circle) on news paper with slip, to center my self. Your ritual is similar.

reb describes out of true on a flat plane. Center and trim to the clay not wheel.

If its out of true in up down fashion. Have fingers always in contact with clay, have trim hand brace against for reference. I've pulled some passable trimming on the most off kilter pieces. Another option is to hand trim, just cut away ( not for every application) Another is to use a banding wheel to trim. There is also trimming on a foam bat. I've had pieces where i first trimmed bottom so its parallel to wheel head first.... It all depends on what you desired outcome , the piece, and your definition of centered.

Did you ever determine which plane/s is askew with your wheel? Have you had someone else throw and or trim on it? Can you wet your finger and draw a circle on spinning wheel?

Caution big brother is watching.
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Why don't you try making bats that compensate for the wobble. Place a bat on the wheel head. pour plaster of Paris over the bat and using a spirit level, adjusted to the true horizontal plane. It may not work. But if it does work, it would give you a fourth option.

Hi all, I still have a problem with my wheel, and after talking to someone at my art center, and with the people here, I am sure that my wheel head is bent and "not true" ever so slightly. But, since I am fairly new to wheel turning and this has been problematic, I was pretty bummed to find this out! But, after working with it, I decided I had two options, three at best: I could sell it and hope to get my money out of it and advertise it as "not true", I could give up, or I could force myself to learn to use it. It hasn't been an easy two weeks, but things are getting easier and I have managed to turn a few small pots on it, so needless to say, I am learning to use it.

Buying replacement parts aren't an option for me right now, we don't have the funds. BUT - here lies my problem now.....how do you trim a foot on a pot when the wheel is not true? I have tried a few, but if the wheel is not centered, then how do I get my foot "centered"? Or am I making too much out of this? lolThank you!

Charlene

if your wheel is out of true on the horizontal plane, suck it up, learn to center, and you'll be fine. If it wobbled vertically, that might be slightly more worrisome---save up and get new parts/ a new wheel.

Well, as mentioned above, I am sucking it up and learning to use it, it is getting easier and eventually I think it won't be too much of an issue once I get a little better. It is not centered on the horizontal plane, so I am doing the best I can. I did try to have someone that works at our local gallery that also monitors at the art center where I was taking classes arrange to come and turn on it, but she never called back and stopped by. Other than that, I have no idea who to contact to see if there is someone to come throw on it, I don't know anyone else.

What I was wondering, is, if it is not true on the horizontal plane (short of the suggestions to make bats that make up the difference) if when starting to trim my bowls, vases, etc to make sure the bottoms are flat, won't they turn out lopsided? Maybe not, I am having a hard time visualizing this.

How much is it out of the horizontal plane??? 1/16th or lee 1/8th or less or 1/4 inch or something else?Mark

Hi Mark - it is about a 1/16" of an inch or so; it is weird....I can slip a piece of paper under (or three) under the high end. I can get it mostly centered now, as best I can - when it seems centered, the center doesn't move, but the farther out on the clay I move my fingertips, the more I can feel the uneveness. The only way I seem successful in getting the clay open is to close my eyes and not look at it when I am opening it up; otherwise I make it go further off center, have to go by feeling....

How much is it out of the horizontal plane??? 1/16th or lee 1/8th or less or 1/4 inch or something else?Mark

Hi Mark - it is about a 1/16" of an inch or so; it is weird....I can slip a piece of paper under (or three) under the high end. I can get it mostly centered now, as best I can - when it seems centered, the center doesn't move, but the farther out on the clay I move my fingertips, the more I can feel the uneveness. The only way I seem successful in getting the clay open is to close my eyes and not look at it when I am opening it up; otherwise I make it go further off center, have to go by feeling....

C.

My heart goes out to you..trying so hard to learn a skill on faulty equipment. I can't fix it for ya but feel for you.

Thanks.....can't tell you how many arguements this wheel has caused with my husband; "isn't it good enough"; "that isn't enough difference to cause an issue in my opinion..."....frustrating; guess my original question was just I was thinking that if I go to level out the bottom of the pot, that if the wheel is off on the horizobtal plane, that my pot will be lopsided....